Pastel painting of trees reflected in a river deep in the woods.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

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I have been crazy busy the last few days between work at our ann arbor advertising agency, studio work and GrandBaby time. I now have 5 of my planned 9 family portraits done for a project I am  calling my “portrait quilt”. I am hoping to have it finished and hung for Thanksgiving so the whole fam damily can critique it!

This pastel landscape above is part of the “Michigan Reflections” series I am currently painting. I am so drawn to light and shadow and, if you throw a couple reflections in, I am a real goner. I liked playing with the heightened color in this piece. I wanted to evoke the feeling of an early morning walk and coming upon a gorgeous treasure of a place, deep in the woods, that no one else knew about…

Pastel landscape painting of woods reflected in the water along a river bank.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

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This pastel landscape captures the place where Roxy and I go for walks every so often. The river wanders through this natural preserve in Saline and, at every curve, there is an awe-inspiring vision to paint! I am a sucker for reflections. They just draw me in every time. Plus, they are a useful tool in my quest to loosen up. I think I am definitely getting there on this pastel painting.

I’m working on a new watercolor portrait series right now. There will be at least 9 in this group and possibly 16. 3 are done. When I have a few more completed, I’ll post some.

Plein air pastel painting of a treeline in Michigan in Autumn

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12 inches   $200

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Last weekend was wonderful for plein air pastel paintings! I spent a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday painting the autumn fields around southern Michigan. The combination of the bright gold fields and the blue atmospheric woods was just too grand to pass up. Lots of people stopped by to catch a glimpse of my work and I even talked to a man who’d like a pastel commission of the sunset from his back porch.

Pastel landscape painting of a creek in the woods of Northern Michigan.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

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I am  really excited about this recent pastel landscape. I feel like I loosened up and approached the style that I really want to work in.  I feel like I finally dropped the worthless details and concentrated on the color, composition and, of course, THE LIGHT AND SHADOWS. It seems like it would be easy to recreate this feeling every time, but once I get going I get caught up in minutiae and then…..

This beautiful little river is near Harbor Springs, in the woods at Pond Hill Farm. The farm was one of the nature conservancy areas that I painted for Tvedten Fine Art ’s plein air charity paint out. The bugs were crazy so I couldn’t paint this scene on site, but I took hundreds of photos and used several for reference for this piece.

Pastel painting of birch trees in the afternoon light

Pastel painting 5 inches x 7.5 inches $80

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At a certain time in the afternoon, the light creates a neat phenomenon in our backyard. The birch trees are lit and there is a glow emanating from the woods behind. Its really beautiful and I tried to capture it in this pastel painting but I’m not sure I got it. Luckily it will happen again and again and I can practice on another day.

I usually use Rembrandt pastels when I do my plein air work. They are strong, semi hard sticks and work well in the field. But lately, i have become so spoiled by the creamy soft Unison and Sennelier pastels that I use in the studio…Maybe I’ll have to splurge and buy some for my plein air work too. What the heck. It’ll help the economy, right?

Pastel painting of woods covered in snow

Pastel painting 5 inches x 7 inches $80   SOLD

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My last homage to winter. I’m looking forward to spring. I painted this pastel painting right after our latest storm and I’m hoping its the last one of a long, snowy season. I must say that I’ve really enjoyed painting winter landscapes this year. I’ve realized that there really is very little white in snow–but lots of blue, purple, pink and yellow. It all depends on the light!

Watercolor painting of a tree-lined dirt road in the summer sun

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 7.5 inches
$100

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Last summer when I was busy painting old farmsteads, I came upon this quiet country lane, shadowed by trees. I sat on the side of the road with Roxy and made a watercolor sketch. It was beautiful, just like it must have been in the 1800s and not a car came by to spoil my view. I’m missing painting outdoor landscapes and can’t wait til spring comes and I can get back at it!

Pastel Painting of an old house and yard covered in snow

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches
$450

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The snow has melted for a spell here in southern Michigan. It feels almost like spring–but we experienced Michiganders know better.  We probably have multiple blizzards yet in our future.

I just finished this pastel painting of an old farmhouse down the street after the last big snow storm. I loved how the cool blue shadows played against the warm sunlight on the house. I am really liking experimenting with the small square format in my pastel landscapes….

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 7 inches $100 + shipping

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I painted this small plein air watercolor landscape last summer out at one of Michigan’s MetroParks. The dark river water was running fast and it was a bit daunting to try and catch the feeling of it. But I loved every minute of the challenge!

Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 17 inches $600 + shipping

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We’re in the Dog Days of Summer. Very little rain and the crops are all turning luscious golden colors. This field drew my attention and i thought it would be interesting to do a painting without an obvious focal point. More about atmosphere and the feeling of the place.